Chuck's Movie Breakdown

           Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's the end of the year, and I've already done my countdown of my Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2021 . Today, I'd like to do something extra special. I would like to do a ranking of all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe projects released in the year 2021. Now, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed all of Marvel's releases this year, including the movies and the Disney+ streaming shows. This is just how I personally rank them compared to each other in terms of my personal enjoyment. So, here we go.          9. Eternals : Now, I will admit that I enjoyed it a bit more upon a second viewing compared to my initial viewing, but it's still not among the best that Marvel had to offer this year. I think that they but off a bit more than they could chew with this one, but I will give them credit for including the first deaf superhero in a feature film.         8. What If...? : Thi...

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas weekend. I know I did. Well, we've reached the end of 2021, and it's really great that we got to go back to the movie theaters once again, in spite of the ongoing issues related to COVID-19. Anyway, I would like to run down the list of my Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2021 .          First, let's get a few honorable mentions out of the way: Eternals, a Marvel movie with a lot of promise and potential, but not quite a game changer. Mortal Kombat, a fun, more faithful adaptation of the iconic fighting game franchise. F9, as fun as it was, it's the first sign of the fan-favorite franchise running out of steam. Jungle Cruise, Disney's popular ride is turned into a movie that's half Pirates of the Caribbean  and half The Mummy. Halloween Kills, not as good as the 2018 film, but still a fun entry in the legendary horror series. No Time to Die, Daniel Craig's final outing as J...

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's Christmas Eve, which means we're at the end of 12 Reviews of Christmas . And, of course, that means we'll be taking a look at yet another adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol . And this year, we'll be looking at the version loved by most every 90's kid: 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol .            Now, of course the story of this movie is exactly the same as every other version of A Christmas Carol . So, in lieu of summarizing the plot, as we've done that already, let's talk about certain details that make this version stand out. Mostly the fact that many of the supporting cast are Muppets. With Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit, Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig, Miss Piggy as Mrs. Crachit, and Gonzo providing narration as Charles Dickens. We also have Sam the Eagle as the Headmaster of Scrooge's childhood school, and Statler and Waldorf as brothers Jacob and Robert Marley. But what i...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've reached the penultimate entry of 12 Reviews of Christmas . And for today's review, I'd like to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Disney+ Original Series: Hawkeye , which began airing on November 24, and wrapped up just yesterday.          So, the series focuses on Clint Barton, who is in New York City trying to make amends for his actions during his time as the hooded vigilante Ronin. It's here that he also meets Kate Bishop, a girl who he saved years earlier during the events of The Avengers . The event led to Kate idolizing Clint, and working to become a master archer just like him. Clint and Kate also find and rescue a pizza-loving stray dog that Kate calls Lucky.        Clint and Kate end up in the cross hairs of the Tracksuit Mafia, which is led by Maya Lopez, a deaf Native American woman whose father was killed years before, apparently by Ronin. We also l...

          Alright guys, here we go. My review of The Matrix Resurrections , my number one most anticipated new movie of 2021, and I'm here to tell you that it absolutely did not disappoint. Director and.franchise co-creator Lana Wachowski delivered on what I, as a long time fan of The Matrix franchise, was hoping to see. Now, I won't go into specific plot details in this review, because as the quote goes: "No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." However, what I will do is give my general thoughts on the movie, and how it answers questions fans had from watching the trailers.          Okay, first off, I like the explanation of how both Neo and Trinity were brought back after being killed off during the events of The Matrix Revolutions . The way it's explained makes a lot of sense in terms of the progression of the series, and it's definitely one that I think the fans will appreciate. Also, I like how, in t...

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, over the last two years of 12 Reviews of Christmas , I have talked about the original television special of How the Grinch Stole Christmas  and the live-action remake from the year 2000 starring Jim Carrey. Well today, as part of 12 Reviews of Christmas , I would like to finish out talking about the different versions of Dr. Seuss' story with the 2018 version of The Grinch  from Illumination Entertainment, the same animation house behind Despicable Me.          Okay, so while I won't harp on the story too much, because it's pretty much the same story that we've seen before. However, I would like to talk about a couple of things exclusive to this version. First off is a new backstory for the Grinch, in that he grew up in the local Whoville orphanage, and didn't get to enjoy Christmas because he was unwanted as a child. Another major change is with the character of Cindy Lou. In this version,...

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Last year, I took a look at the direct-to-video holiday film Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, which was a really fun little treat for younger kids to enjoy for the holidays. Well in 2004, Disney produced a sequel, this time completely computer animated, and they called it Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas . So, for 12 Reviews of Christmas , I would like to talk about it, because I honestly enjoyed it more than the first one.           Okay, right off the bat, I want to mention the change from hand-drawn animation to CGI animation. This was done some time after Disney produced a 3D amusement park attraction called Mickey's PhilharMagic,  which showcased Donald Duck chasing after Mickey's sorcerer hat throughout several famous moments from popular Disney films (i.e. Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc.). So, after the popularity of the ride, Disney decided to make a direct...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well last year, I took a look at  The Santa Clause  starring Tim Allen. This year, as part of 12 Reviews of Christmas , I'd like to jump back into that world with The Santa Clause 2 .          So, it's been eight years since Scott Calvin first put on the red suit and became the new Santa Claus, and things are going really well for him. Productivity at the North Pole is better than ever, children are eighty-six percent happier now that Scott is Santa, and Scott has become a much better person because of it. Unfortunately, all of this good in Scott's life is about to be challenged, when one day, a young elf named Abby informs Scott that his son, Charlie, has found himself on the Naughty List. Shortly after that bit of bad news, Bernard, the Head Elf, and Curtis, the Keeper of the Santa Handbook, inform Scott of an addendum to the original Santa Clause. Apparently, a second clause exists known as the...

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is one that I've been holding off on reviewing for a bit. But today, for 12 Reviews of Christmas , I'm finally reviewing Elf starring Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau.           The movie focuses on Buddy, who snuck into Santa's gift bag as a baby and ended up raised by the elves at the North Pole. Years go by, and Buddy discovers that he's a human, and that his real father is a New York City book publisher named Walter Cobb. Buddy then decides to travel from the North Pole to New York to meet his father.          In New York, Buddy meets Walter and Walter's family: wife Emily and son Michael. Buddy also meets and hooks up with Jovie, who works at Gimbel's department store. Buddy also ends up at Gimbel's, where he calls out a department store Santa for being a fake, and gets into a fight with the fake Santa. Unfortunately, things go south when Buddy inadvert...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, last night's screening for Spider-Man: No Way Home  was an absolute blast for me, but now it's time to get back to 12 Reviews of Christmas  with a return to that little effed-up mountain town in Colorado: South Park. Now, South Park  has done a number of Christmas episodes, but today, I'm reviewing a personal favorite of mine, with the season seven episode It's Christmas in Canada .              One December night in South Park, as the Brovlofski family is celebrating Hanukkah, they get some unexpected visitors with the Canadian couple Harry and Elise Gints, who were the birth parents of Ike, whom the Brovlofskis adopted years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Gints reveal that they've come to return Ike, who they refer to by his birth name of Peter, home to Canada with them, as a law by the new Canadian Prime Minister requires that all Canadian children in adoption must be returned home. Mr....

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Earlier this evening, I went to see the newest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Spider-Man: No Way Home.  Don't worry, no spoilers in this review for those who haven't seen the movie yet, but I highly encourage going to see it in theaters, as it is easily the best film of Marvel's Phase Four, in addition to topping Denis Villeneuve's Dune as my absolute favorite film of 2021.               So, after Quentin Beck aka Mysterio outed Peter Parker as the masked hero Spider-Man, Peter's life and reputation are tarnished. After getting out of trouble with the law with some help from a certain lawyer Marvel fans will be happy to see make the leap to the big screen, Peter then feels guilty about himself, Ned, and MJ getting rejected from attending college at MIT. Peter turns to Doctor Strange for help in making the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, due to changing ...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, this is a movie that's been on my radar for the last couple of years, and now I'm finally getting to discuss my thoughts on it. So, for 12 Reviews of Christmas , let's take a look at the 2019 Disney+ original movie: Noelle .            The movie starts off with an introduction to the Kringle children: Nick and Noelle. Nick is being groomed to take over his father's role as Santa Claus, while Noelle is charged with spreading holiday cheer throughout Santa's village. Cut to years later, and it's been five months since Santa's unfortunate passing, and Nick isn't performing well on terms of being the new Santa. Worried that her brother will be too stressed to perform his job come Christmas Eve, Noelle suggests that Nick takes the weekend off. Some days after departing, the sleigh returns with no signs of Nick anywhere. The high council of elves then votes on Nick and Noelle's cousin, Gabe, to be the ...

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Today, for  12 Reviews of Christmas,  I'd like to jump back into the world of Doctor Who . We took a look at the 2005 Christmas special last year, so this year, I'll be looking at the 2006 Christmas special: The Runaway Bride .           Shortly after the events of the Season Two finale, Doomsday , the Doctor gets an unexplained visitor in the TARDIS: a woman in a wedding dress. The woman in question is Donna Noble, and she simply appeared on the TARDIS from out of nowhere. Well, seemingly from out of nowhere. You see, she was walking down the aisle during her wedding, and she started glowing, and eventually teleported onto the TARDIS. The Doctor takes her to the reception, but is concerned that she had absorbed a significant amount of huon particles. The reception is suddenly attacked by robots dressed as Santa Claus, and the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to destroy them by manipulating the sou...

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Every year at Christmastime, a series of stop motion Christmas specials will air on television. These specials, which were produced by Rankin/Bass, have essentially become staples of the holiday season. And today, for 12 Reviews of Christmas , I will be looking at the most beloved of the bunch: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer .           Narrated by Sam the Snowman, played by Burl Ives, the story focuses on Rudolph, a young reindeer with a glowing red nose, whose father is Donner, who is one of Santa's main reindeer. Unfortunately, both of Rudolph's parents see his nose as something they need to hide, and do there best to cover it up. Meanwhile, we meet an elf named Hermie, who is more interested in the art of dentistry than in toy making. After one final straw dealing with the elf foreman, Hermie decides to leave Santa's village. Rudolph, meanwhile, befriends another young reindeer, Fireball, and draws...

           Hey guys, Chuck here, and well, it was just a matter of time before I posted a review of a Nancy Meyers film. But, just for 12 Reviews of Christmas , I will be taking a look at her 2006 film The Holiday .           The movie focuses on two women: Iris, who lives in a small town cottage in England and works for The Daily Telegraph , and Amanda, who has a big luxurious house in Los Angeles and owns a company that cuts together movie trailers. One night, during an office Christmas party, Iris is utterly stunned when her ex, Jasper, announces his engagement to his current girlfriend, in spite of the fact that Iris is still in love with the guy. Meanwhile, Amanda breaks up with her boyfriend Ethan, a film composer, when he admits to cheating on her.            Spotting Iris' cottage on a home exchange website, Amanda reaches out to Iris and the two women agree to swap houses for two weeks, so...

           Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, it's that time of year again. Twelve days, twelve specials. It's time, once again, for 12 Reviews of Christmas . We got some new releases, some all-time yuletide classics, and a few surprises full of Christmas cheer. So, let's get started with a new release: Home Sweet Home Alone .             Released exclusively on Disney+, the latest chapter of the Home Alone series focuses on Jeff and Pam McKenzie, who are being forced to sell their home due to being unable to pay for it, which they keep secret from their children Abby and Chris. During an open house, they meet a young British kid named Max Mercer, along with his mother Carol. Max is taken aback by a bizarre doll with its face upside down. Carol and Max then head home to prepare for a family trip to Tokyo for the Christmas holiday. Later that night, after the arrival of Jeff's brother Hunter and his wife Mei, Jeff learns how much ...